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The New Challenges Facing TV Program Planners

These days, with the emergence of digital platforms,
streaming services, and on-demand viewing patterns, scheduling decisions are
far less myopic [than before]. The focus is on the larger, longer-term picture — both from a
creative and a business perspective — and the upcoming season will have more
returning shows on each network than any recent fall in memory. But the
fundamentals of scheduling remain intact...

The job of a scheduler has become far less narrow than it
once was. The increase in viewing platforms means shows are amortized on a
balance sheet over longer periods of time, and nets exercise more patience with
an eye on long-term success...

Perhaps no broadcast network has benefited more from the
streaming revolution than the CW. "It allows us to be more patient,” says Kevin
Levy, The CW’s senior VP, program planning and scheduling. "Audiences now have
a multitude of ways to discover and watch our shows, so the life cycle of these
programs has been expanded.”